Theater Room

Published August 2019
Updated February 2022

Thank you for joining us in this series on Home Decorating. 
Our hope is that these short blog bursts will enable & inspire you to refresh a room in your home.

This week consider creating a Theater Room in your home.

Both of the above incorporate a man-pad bar area in addition to the theater room.

Especially with newer construction, theater rooms are becoming very popular.

So let’s start with... you would like one but don’t have one yet. The first step is finding a location in your home, large or small, that you can convert into a dark room. It could be a closet that you really don’t need, a portion of a large bedroom where you could divide into bedroom (with windows) on one side and the remaining portion with no windows. Remember, this is a room refresh and not a remodel so think room dividers, dark heavy curtains but not dry wall.

An unused portion of your basement would work well.
Or a portion of your attic.

The above is a remodel but good to see what we are talking about. If your dormer/upstairs/attic is finished then you could use this space for your theater room refresh. Here is the finished product:

Otherwise, your theater space should be easy to choose as you will want a space without windows. It doesn’t need to be a large space, but it’s your choice. Converting a small space is much easier—and works just as well as a large space.

Let’s look at some of these options:

If you chose to partition a portion of your basement off, choose the end with no windows and close it off with large, heavy dark drapes. Lighting should not be one of the elements in this refresh as you will want to keep your original lights and just turn them off when you’re ready to start the movie.

Also a very simple refresh, the above was put together using stadium seats and a large screen tv. Use heavy drapes for the patio doors and drapes hung to separate from the rest of the basement.  

Next, you’ll want comfortable furniture. There is a variety of home theater seating and a huge market for such chairs as the theater rooms have exploded around the country. Check these out here from Seatcraft. 

You can pull your old comfy sectional into this room or purchase individual chairs as one of your refresh elements. Your choice! Chairs or sofas with personal cup holders make it easy to enjoy the movie when it is dark. This way each person gets their own comfortable chair and can recline or not per their preference.

If you like the family style of watching movies together, go for that extra large sectional and/or bean bags. Find your vision and include seating accordingly.

Next, or first of all? The big screen tv. It seems most people have a 60 inch or larger these days. If you don’t, don’t feel bad. Kudos on your priorities! Choose a flat screen or a screen that pulls down or located behind a cabinet and utilize a projector. These screen and projector sets are very common. Definitely include the tv, or viewing monitor and projector, as one of your 3 elements to refresh this room.

Here is an example of a projector utilized with a screen-type monitor.

The above is a simple set up with comfortable sofa sectional with pillows and throws along with the high-tech screen and projector.

Your theater room should primarily be functional for the intended purpose---watching movies (or whatever your preference is) in a dark theater-like room.

(Not just for movies...but for sports too!)

When the lights are on and you are showing your friends and family this space you’ve created, you may want to have some fun decorations on the walls. Check out some fun pallet wood wall art and hang the art that fits your personality or your family’s values and interests.

And don't forget when going for comfort and cozy, update your floor covering or…purchase some plush rugs or one large one to encompass and tie the room together.

And lastly, let’s talk about sound. It has become common these days for people to utilize sound bars on their tvs. This consists of a sound bar which projects sound from your tv more evenly to the room you’re in. Some sound bars come with a woofer that you set behind or to the side of your seating for a more surround-sound impact. You can choose tall speakers for placement on either side of your tv screen, speakers mounted on the ceiling and/or walls or choose the easy route and buy just the sound bar and the woofer. The woofer makes a great addition as it adds base to the entire sound and allows for that feeling of surround-sound.

There you have it. Let’s rehash: 3 elements to create your own theater room.

1. Find the space, section it off with heavy dark drapes or floor to ceiling room dividers. If your only choice is the end of the basement that has windows—no worries! Just add more dark heavy curtains for those windows.

This refresher didn't have a choice so placed his theater room at the end of his basement. The only thing he needs is dark drapes for the window.

2.   Next element to implement is your tv or projector and screen. This is fun and an easy shopping spree. So many choices or take the big screen tv from your living room and convert your living room into a conversation-, music listening- and game playing- room.

3.  And lastly, seating. Also a fun shopping spree or try your creative hand at finding something your whole family can sprawl on for a sense of togetherness. You can re-purpose that sectional from your family room into your theater room giving you the freedom to buy something else new for your family room. The home theater seats are fun to research and shop for. You can find some great deals if you look into it.

Those are the 3 critical elements of your theater room. If you already have one or all of these elements or want to splurge past the 3 element limit, then check into wall art, rugs and floor covering, and blankets and pillows for accents and comfort. 

This refresher discovered old stadium seating and re-purposed for his own theater room. 

What other elements have you found that made your theater room perfect? Or more comfortable? Darker? Better sound? Please share below! 

We'll leave you with a couple of our favorites, simple, comfortable or perfect--you decide.

Don’t forget to sign up below to confirm you’re on the mailing list to receive notice when these blog bursts are published.